The Strategic Plan for the improvement and upgrading of higher education in Cyprus was approved by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, announced the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Athina Michailidou, stating that higher education must be an important axis of development and quality education for Cyprus .
As mentioned by Ms. Michailidou in her statements, the Council of Ministers approved today, following a proposal by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, the Strategic Plan for the improvement and upgrading of higher education in Cyprus, "which falls within the framework of the actions promoted based on the program of governance for the quality upgrade of higher education".
He noted that the strategic plan was drawn up and put to a targeted consultation and then to a public consultation through an electronic platform to be finalized in a final text while its main parameters were also presented to the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture.
"The purpose of the Strategic Plan for the improvement and upgrading of higher education is the formation of a quality and modern system of higher education in Cyprus that will contribute to the formation of literate citizens with a complete personality, capable of contributing creatively to the development of society, to the improvement of the quality citizens' lives and to face the challenges of the future and on the one hand to establish Cyprus as a regional academic and research center, taking into account the real needs of the market of work", said the Minister.
The text of the Strategic Planning, he added, is strengthened by the design and implementation of targeted strategic objectives, which specifically concern the development and modernization of higher education in Cyprus, its interconnection with the labor market, the establishment of Cyprus as an international center of higher education and are organized under four axes: the upgrading of quality, excellence, the interface with the labor market, internationalization and the offer of incentives to foreign students and female students.
"The strategic objectives targeted above and the main axes of the Strategic Plan create an integrated policy framework, scientifically documented, which will make the Strategic Plan sustainable and effective," said Mrs. Michailidou. In this context, he continued, for the internationalization of higher education in particular, the bills being discussed in the Parliament are also included, such as the provision that will allow local public universities to offer foreign language undergraduate programs, as well as the operation of branches of foreign universities.
"All of the above are governed by strict quality control criteria that are required through specific procedures," he said.
Concluding, the Minister said that "higher education in our country must be an important axis of development and quality education for Cyprus".
